The embodiments herein relate generally to electronic controllers, and more particularly to a portable single-handed remote control system for unmanned aerial vehicle.
There is a variety of devices which are commonly and widely used for controlling Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. For example, a conventional remote control is generally quite large in dimension and needs both hands to operate. Some controllers include two control sticks with at least 2 degrees of freedom (DOF) horizontal each. A DOF typically represents a “channel” to control a UAV's pitch/yaw/roll, and throttle. In a typical configuration, one stick can control throttle and yaw. The other stick controls pitch and roll. The remote controller communicates with the UAV using a radio link.
A smart phone which has internal motion sensors may be used to control a UAV. Typically a user will hold the smartphone in his palm and move his hand or arm and the internal motion sensors can sense the user's hand motion, and use this motion to simulate a UAV's movement in the pitch/yaw/roll axes, or throttle.
A Myo™ arm band is a wearable device which can detect movements via arm gestures by sensing the nerve signal from a muscle. The device can capture the movement of a user's hand, including the motion of fingers, wrist, etc. By assign different actions to different arm gestures, a user can define for example, corresponding flight control instructions and send the instructions to the UAV to control its flight.
The Kinect™ system is Microsoft's™ 3D motion capture camera system. User movement may be captured translated into corresponding flight instruction. This technology requires a Kinect™ camera to be mounted somewhere in the scene. Thus, its use is impractical for most UAV applications.
The Nintendo™ Wii™ remote control uses an optical sensor and an accelerometer to detect hand gestures. The controller is accompanied by a sensor bar that registers signals from within a limited distance to control virtual movement on a game display.
These devices may be suitable under some static environments, but they are ineffective in many dynamic situations, especially those involving extreme conditions such as surfing, skiing, sailing and etc. For instance, some people control a UAV while performing extreme sporting activities, and it becomes difficult for example for a skier to use a conventional remote control that requires both hands to carry and operate, while still engaging in skiing. In addition, the prior art control devices lack the operability during the moving conditions.
As can be seen, there is a need for increasing the portability and flexibility of controller for use in a wide variety of different dynamic situation. Additionally, there is a need for providing a more effective and precise control device for use in high-action sporting activities, especially those involving extreme conditions.